


Gender, Sexuality, & Fandom: Collected Resources

by stickley



Category: Fandom - Fandom
Genre: Feminism, Gen, Gender, Meta, Nonfiction, Sexuality, bibliography, collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-02 14:29:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6569911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stickley/pseuds/stickley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An expansive collection of academic and fan work theorizing and exemplifying the connections between gender, sexuality, and fandom in a wide variety of formats. The collection includes a book list and links to news articles, scholarly essays, podcasts, fan meta and numerous fan works, among other relevant material.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Table of Contents

### Table of Contents

_Chapter 2:[Introduction & Background Information](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6569911/chapters/15032239)_

_Chapter 3:[What is fandom? What do fans do?](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6569911/chapters/15084265)_

_Chapter 4:[Books](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6569911/chapters/15032587)_

_Chapter 5:[Scholarly Articles & Chapters](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6569911/chapters/15034579)_

_Chapter 6:[Websites & Journalism](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6569911/chapters/15034600)_

_Chapter 7:[Meta, blogs/posts, comments/discussions](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6569911/chapters/15034624)_

_Chapter 8:[Podcasts & Videos](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6569911/chapters/15034705)_

_Chapter 9:[Fan works](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6569911/chapters/15034732)_

_Chapter 10:_ Conclusion/Reflection


	2. Introduction and Background Information

**Introduction/Background**

The project was created as an answer to a question:

_What does Women’s Studies have to do with fandom?_

As a fan, a Women’s Studies major, and a feminist, I felt that I had a pretty good idea of how the two were related. The problem was that no one else in my Women’s Studies department was particularly aware of the connection. Therefore, this project is intended to help my peers and the faculty in my Women’s Studies department, as well as other feminists, begin to understand what fandom is, what fans do, and how gender and sexism plays out through fandom. However, I also intend this collection to serve the purposes of fans and their communities. Many fans will already be familiar with some of the following works and arguments, but by collecting as much material together as possible in one central location, I hope to facilitate the sharing and discovery of knowledge among fans.

I started this project as a senior undergrad majoring in Political Science and Women’s Studies. In my department, everyone majoring Women’s Studies must complete a praxis project their senior spring semester. The project is intended to put into action what we have learned as Women’s Studies concentrators in a tangible way that is connected to our wider community. Many students complete creative projects such as writing plays, choreographing a dance, or other artwork. In my year, one woman trained to become a doula and documented her experience. Another woman created an LGBTQ book club focusing on women who love women. This is my project.

My original project idea was to use fan works as feminist praxis by creating fan works that take up feminist or social justice questions, and by soliciting fan works that do this from others. As I was talking to my peers and my seminar professor, however, I got the feeling that I might be getting ahead of myself. I couldn’t explain the significance and potential of what I was trying to do with fan fic, fan art, fan graphics, fan vids, etc. until I explained the greater context of women in fandom. Therefore, I decided to collect a bunch of knowledge and resources about gender and fandom into a central place so that I could give a glimpse of the fandom world to those of my peers and professors who are unfamiliar with this sub-culture (although I know many people on my campus _are_ fans, and this project will also hopefully serve as a connection to them as well).

 

**Organization/Methods**

This project is meant to bring together knowledge and evidence of the significance of gender in fandom from many different places and angles. I want to make visible the academic work that has been done on fans, but I also want to highlight the immense amount of work and content that fans have produced. This takes the form of blog posts, articles, and meta as well as all manners of fan works that deal with gender.

I chose to host this project on Archive of Our Own because it is a large and somewhat central site of fandom activity, and because the organization that runs this archive, the Organization for Transformative Works, was [founded upon feminist principles](http://www.transformativeworks.org/what_we_believe/) and a deep understanding of how women have existed in fandom.

While I anticipate (hope) that this project will evolve beyond what I can initially imagine, I will start by organizing the content into the following categories, which will be chapters in this work on AO3:

Books

Both academic and general interest books about fandom and feminism.

Scholarly Articles & Chapters

Chapters and articles published by scholars or in scholarly journals.

Websites & Journalism

This section is for articles on fandom and gender published in newspapers, magazines, or on news sites, as well other websites that focus on gender and fandom.

Meta, blogs/posts, comments/discussions

This section is for meta, essays, blogs and blog posts that have gender and fandom as their focus, as well as comments and discussions that focus on gender and fandom (such as those that occur on Tumblr, LiveJournal, or Dreamwidth)

Podcasts & Videos

This section is for entire podcasts and video series that discuss gender and fandom, as well as specific individual episodes or videos. Note, fan vids should go in the Fan works chapter.

Fan works

Organized into the following categories:

_Fan art_

_Fan fiction (including podcasts)_

_Fan vids_

_Other fan creations_

A note on content: I want this collection to be expansive and give a good overview of the multitude of views that academics and fans hold on fandom. Therefore, please note that:

  * There isn’t a consensus on how gender works in fandom, and much of the material in this collection will probably contradict, criticize, or disagree with other works.
  * This collection is _not_ meant to be an exhaustive overview of everything that's been said about fandom, but focuses on material that is concerned with gender or sexuality.
  * I intend to determine the relevance of submitted material on a case-by-case basis.  I certainly will not exclude anything because it doesn’t live up to my personal feminist principles.
  * The inclusion of any material in this collection does _not_ mean that I endorse the content or arguments contained in that material.



 

**Collaboration/Submitting Works**

I have put together an initial collection of works and links related to gender and fandom, but I know that I’m missing a lot of valuable material. I also know that fandom and the way it relates to gender is changing all the time, in different ways in different subcultures and communities. More work is being published on fans all the time as well. And of course more fan works are constantly being created. This project is a continual work in progress, one that I hope can be sustained into the future even after I have graduated.

This is why I am seeking contributions from anyone who knows of other work relevant to the discussion of fans and gender.

This is what you need to know if you want to contribute/collaborate:

  * Content can be in any form, even if it doesn’t seem to particularly fit into the categories I’ve defined so far.
  * I'd love to hear any suggestions of how this collection could be organized more effectively.
  * There's a pretty good chance that some of the links are messed up/will get messed up. Please let me know when they do!
  * It would be incredibly helpful if, when you suggest a piece to add to the collection, you could briefly described how it is related to gender and fandom. I don't have the time to read/watch/listen to a ton of content to ensure that it's relevant, so a little direction/explanation would help me tremendously!



gaps that I am currently seeking to fill:

  * meta/discussion from before 2014
  * feminist/political fan works of all sorts, from multiple fandoms



Thank you for all your interest and help!

**Contact Me**

My fandom handle is stickley or stickley925.

To reach me or send me links/works, you can:

  * post in the comments


  * drop me an ask on [my tumblr](http://stickley925.tumblr.com/)


  * email me: stickley925@gmail.com 



If you prefer, you can also try contacting me through my [Livejournal](http://stickley925.livejournal.com/) or [Dreamwidth](http://stickley.dreamwidth.org/) accounts, but I don’t check these as often.

I’ll try to respond in a timely manner—if it’s been a week, feel free to contact me again.

** Please contact me if your work is linked or referenced here and you wish it to be removed, and I'll respond to your request as soon as time permits **


	3. What is fandom? What do fans do?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dedicated to Analiza ;-)

This chapter is for the benefit of my peers and other feminists who told me they didn't really have any idea what fandom was! Of course, the problem with explaining is that fandom isn't exactly one, monolithic thing--it's highly decentralized and unique to each individual's experience. To me, the distinction between being a fan and being in fandom is that "fandom" implies a sense of community--an amorphous group, certainly,  but with a set of common understandings and reference points, even if individuals do not always agree with each other (and fans vehemently do not).

However, to attempt an answer this question, I want to direct everyone's attention to another project of the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW): [FanLore](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Main_Page). Fanlore is a wiki project "by, for, and about fans and fan communities." While its definitely a work in progress, it should also help those unfamiliar with fandom to understand fan jargon and history. 

I'll link to a few important articles to start, but this resource is also useful when you run across an unfamiliar term in an article or blog post about fans.

[Fandom](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Fandom) -- [Media Fandom](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Media_fandom)

[Fanwork](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Fanwork)

\--[Fanfiction](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Fan_fiction)

\--[Fanart](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Fanart)

\--[Fanvid](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Vid) + [Vidding](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Vidding)

[Shipping](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Shipping)

[Slash](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Slash) - [Slash terminology](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Slash_Terminology) - [History of Slash Fandom](http://fanlore.org/wiki/History_of_Slash_Fandom)

[Mary Sue](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Mary_Sue)

**HELPFUL ARTICLES**

[A beginner's guide to fandom](http://www.dailydot.com/culture/beginners-guide-fandom-fanworks/) by Aja Romano

[A guide to fanfiction for people who can't stop getting it wrong](http://www.dailydot.com/geek/complete-guide-to-fanfiction/) by Gavia Baker-Whitelaw and Aja Romano

[How to speak fangirl](http://www.dailydot.com/society/how-to-speak-fangirl/) by Aja Romano

**FANDOM HISTORY**

Francesca Coppa's "A Brief History of Media Fandom" in the book  _Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet_

[A brief history of fandom](http://ofhouseadama.tumblr.com/post/86424015604) by ofhouseadama


	4. Books

This section includes both academic and general interest books about fandom and feminism. I've used Chicago style citations, and some annotations where necessary.

* * *

Bacon-Smith, Camille. _Enterprising Women: Television Fandom and the Creation of Popular Myth_. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992.

Bury, Rhiannon. _Cyberspaces of Their Own: Female Fandoms Online_. New York: Peter Lang, 2005.

Hellekson, Karen, and Kristina Busse, eds. _Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet: New Essays_. Jefferson, NC: McFarland  &, 2006.

Hellekson, Karen, and Kristina Busse, eds. _The Fan Fiction Studies Reader_. Iowa City: University Of Iowa Press, 2014.

Jamison, Anne, and Lev Grossman. _Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World_. Dallas, Texas: Smart Pop, 2013.

Jenkins, Henry. _Textual Poachers: Television Fans & Participatory Culture_. New York: Routledge, 1992.

Larsen, Katherine, and Lynn S. Zubernis, eds. _Fan Culture: Theory/Practice_. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars, 2012.

Lewis, Lisa A., ed. _The Adoring Audience: Fan Culture and Popular Media_. London: Routledge, 1992. 

\--See in particular Part II: Fandom and Gender

Maggs, Sam. _The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Geek Girls_. Quirk Books, 2015.

Radway, Janice A. _Reading the Romance: Women, Patriarchy, and Popular Literature_. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1984.

\--This work has to do with the romance genre of published books as opposed to fan works, but it has been an influential text in understanding how women relate to fan fiction.


	5. Scholarly Articles & Chapters

For specific chapters within books that deal with gender and fandom, and also articles published in scholarly journals. I've used Chicago-style citations

Many relevant works can be found in the online journal published by the OTW: [Transformative Works and Cultures](http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc)

There's also a relatively new, and unfortunately not open-access [Journal of Fandom Studies](http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-Journal,id=213/)

* * *

 

Busse, Kristina, Ed. “In Focus: Fandom and Feminism: Gender and the Politics of Fan Production” _Cinema Journal_ 48.4 (2009): 104-36.

\--This is a section of  _Cinema Journal_ that features many articles by multiple authors on the subject of fandom and feminism.

Busse, Kristina, Ed. “In Focus: Feminism and Fandom Revisited” _Cinema Journal_ 54.3 (2015): 110-54. 

\--This is a section of  _Cinema Journal_ that features many articles by multiple authors on the subject of fandom and feminism.

Busse, Kristina. "Geek Hierarchies, Boundary Policing, and the Gendering of the Good Fan." _Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies_ 10, no. 1 (May 2013): 73-91.

Coppa, Francesca, and Rebecca Tushnet. "How to Suppress Women's Remix." _Camera Obscura: Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies_ 26, no. 2 77 (2011): 131-38. 

Coppa, Francesca. "An Editing Room of One's Own: Vidding as Women's Work." _Camera Obscura: Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies_ 26, no. 2 77 (2011): 123-30. 

Coppa, Francesca. "Women, "Star Trek," and the Early Development of Fannish Vidding." _Transformative Works and Cultures_  No. 1 (2008).

Fiesler, C., Morrison, S., and Bruckman, A.S. [An Archive of Their Own: A Case Study of Feminist HCI and Values in Design](https://cfiesler.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/chi2016_ao3_fiesler.pdf).  _CHI ’16: Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems_ , (2016).

Flegel, Monica, and Jenny Roth. "Annihilating Love and Heterosexuality without Women: Romance, Generic Difference, and Queer Politics in Supernatural Fan Fiction." _Transformative Works and Cultures_ No. 4 (2010).

Hampton, Darlene. "Bound Princes and Monogamy Warnings: Harry Potter, Slash, and Queer Performance in LiveJournal Communities." _Transformative Works and Cultures_ 18 (2015). Web. 27 Oct. 2015.

Hills, Matt. ""Twilight" Fans Represented in Commercial Paratexts and Inter-Fandoms: Resisting and Repurposing Negative Fan Stereotypes." In _Genre, Reception, and Adaptation in the Twilight Series_ , edited by Anne Morey, 113-29. Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 2012.

Hunting, Kyra. "Queer as Folk and the Trouble with Slash." _Transformative Works and Cultures_ No. 11 (2012). 

Lamb, Patricia Frazer, and Dianna L. Veith. _Erotic Universe: Sexuality and Fantastic Literature_. Edited by Donald Palumbo. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986.

Leow, Hui Min Annabeth. "Subverting the Canon in Feminist Fan Fiction: "Concession"" _Transformative Works and Cultures_ No. 7 (2011).

Leppänen, Sirpa. "Cybergirls in Trouble? Fan Fiction as a Discursive Space for Interrogating Gender and Sexuality." _Identity Trouble: Critical Discourse and Contested Identities_. Ed. Carmen Rosa. Caldas-Coulthard and Rick Iedema. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. 

Lothian, Alexis, Kristina Busse, and Robin Anne Reid. "“Yearning Void and Infinite Potential”: Online Slash Fandom as Queer Female Space." _English Language Notes_ 45, no. 2 (2007): 103-11.  http://queergeektheory.org/docs/Lothian_QFS.pdf.

Penley, Constance. "Feminism, Psychoanalysis, and the Study of Popular Culture." In _Cultural Studies_ , edited by Lawrence Grossberg, Cary Nelson, and Paula A. Treichler, 479-500. New York: Routledge, 1992.

Russ, Joanna. "Pornography by Women, For Women, With Love." In _Magic Mommas, Trembling Sisters, Puritans, and Perverts: Feminist Essays_. Trumansburg: Crossing Press, 1985.

Scodari, Christine. "Resistance Re-Examined: Gender, Fan Practices, And Science Fiction Television."  _Popular Communication_  1.2 (2003): 111.  _Communication & Mass Media Complete_. 

Scott, Suzanne. "Repackaging Fan Culture: The Regifting Economy of Ancillary Content Models." _Transformative Works and Cultures_ 3 (2009). Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

Tosenberger, Catherine. ""The Epic Love Story of Sam and Dean": Supernatural, Queer Readings, and the Romance of Incestuous Fan Fiction." _Transformative Works and Cultures_ No. 1 (2008). 


	6. Websites & Journalism

This section is comprised of articles written about gender and fandom in news publications, magazines, or other websites (not blogs). They are sorted by date, newest appearing on top. Also included are entire websites that consistently focus on gender and fandom.

* * *

  **WEBSITES**

[The Mary Sue](http://www.themarysue.com/)

[Fandom Following](http://www.fandomfollowing.com/)

[Women Write About Comics](http://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/)

**JOURNALISTS**

[Elizabeth Minkel](http://elizabethminkel.com/about) at [The New Statesman](http://www.newstatesman.com/writers/elizabeth_minkel)

[Aja Romano](http://www.ajaromano.com/about-aja/) at [Vox](http://www.vox.com/authors/aja-romano), [The Daily Dot](http://www.dailydot.com/authors/aja-romano/) (former), [The Mary Sue](http://www.themarysue.com/author/aja-romano/) (former)

**ARTICLES**

[The most popular authors you’ve never heard of are finally getting their own book](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/04/26/the-most-popular-authors-youve-never-heard-of-are-finally-getting-their-own-book/) by Caitlin Dewey; April 26, 2016

\--"Pseudonymous authors have hundreds of thousands of 'imagines' on Tumblr, Wattpad, Twitter, and Instagram. Now there's an entire book devoted to them."

[To Kill a Lesbian](http://www.fandomfollowing.com/to-kill-a-lesbian/) by Kylie; April 18, 2016

[Larry Stylinson, the One Direction conspiracy theory that rules the internet, explained](http://www.vox.com/2016/4/18/11384118/larry-stylinson-one-direction-conspiracy-theory) by Aja Romano; April 18, 2016

\--"Fake babies, fake girlfriends, and real gay soul mates: Larry Stylinson is the only boy band conspiracy you'll ever need."

[Powerpuff Girls: New Show, Same Suckerpunching of Trans Folk](http://harlot.media/articles/2691/powerpuff-girls-new-show-same-suckerpunching-of-trans-folk) by Dorian Dawes; April 15, 2016

[It's not just video games — tabletop gaming has a harassment problem too](http://www.vox.com/2016/4/7/11371194/tabletop-harassment-malifaux-controversy) by Aja Romano; April 7, 2016

[The Main Character in ‘Rogue One’ Is a Woman and Some ‘Star Wars’ Bros Are Freaking Out](http://screencrush.com/rogue-one-female-lead-angry-fans/) by Mike Sampson; April 7, 2016

[The Feminists of Wakanda](http://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2016/04/the-feminists-of-wakanda/477456/) by Ta-Nehisi Coates; April 8, 2016

[Why do we mock teenage girls who love One Direction when Top Gear fans are just the same?](http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2015/03/why-do-we-mock-teenage-girls-who-love-one-direction-when-top-gear-fans-are-just-same) by Elizabeth Minkel; March 31, 2016

[How Zootopia Calls Out Modern Day Society and "Allies"](http://www.fandomfollowing.com/how-zootopia-calls-out-modern-day-society-and-allies/) by CJ; March 29, 2016

[An Open Letter to Game of Thrones and Entertainment Weekly](http://www.fandomfollowing.com/an-open-letter-to-game-of-thrones-and-entertainment-weekly/) by Wendy; March 25, 2016

['Slash' succeeds as young adult story, completely fails as a movie about slash fiction](http://www.dailydot.com/geek/slash-review-fanfiction-wrong/) by Aja Romano; March 16, 2016

[What TV Can Learn From "The 100" Mess](http://variety.com/2016/tv/opinion/the-100-lexa-jason-rothenberg-1201729110/) by Maureen Ryan; March 14, 2016

[Magic in North America Part 1: Ugh.](http://nativeappropriations.com/2016/03/magic-in-north-america-part-1-ugh.html) by Adrienne K.; March 8, 2016

[A major death on 'The 100' sparks massive backlash from queer fans](http://www.dailydot.com/geek/the-100-backlash-dead-lesbian-trope/) by Aja Romano; March 8, 2016

["Women built this castle": An in-depth look at sexism in YA](http://www.yainterrobang.com/sexism-in-ya/) by Nicole Brinkley; March 7, 2016

[What Lesbian Boba Fett teaches us about fandom's gift for subversion](http://www.dailydot.com/geek/lesbian-boba-fett-fan-theory/) by Aja Romano; Jan 10, 2016

[Star Wars, queer representation and the mainstreaming of slash](http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/film/2016/01/star-wars-queer-representation-and-mainstreaming-slash) by Elizabeth Minkel; Jan 8, 2016

[A 'Star Wars' Monopoly set doesn't include the hero of 'The Force Awakens'](http://www.dailydot.com/geek/wheres-rey-star-wars-force-awakens-monopoly-set/) by Aja Romano, Jan 5, 2016

[J.K. Rowling's take on Hermione being black has been a long time coming](http://www.dailydot.com/geek/rowling-black-hermione-fandom-history/) by Aja Romano, Dec 21, 2015

[We Had Women Photoshopped Into Stereotypical Comic Book Poses And It Got Weird](https://www.buzzfeed.com/kristinchirico/superheroes?utm_term=.eeadExLD5#.dubwXQ8Kp) by BuzzFeed staff; Dec 10, 2015

[On Shipping: What’s Disney’s, What’s Yours, and What’s Mine](http://womenwriteaboutcomics.com/2015/12/07/52542/) by Charlotte Geater; Dec 7, 2015

[No, J J Abrams – Star Wars was never “a boy’s thing”](http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/film/2015/12/no-j-j-abrams-star-wars-was-never-boy-s-thing) by Elizabeth Minkel; Dec 1, 2015

[Welcome To The Sex-Positive Wonderland Of Erotic Fan Fiction](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/erotic-fan-fiction-value_us_561294efe4b0768127029355) by Claire Fallon; Oct 14, 2015

[New Kickstarter for a slash fiction film unsettles the fandom community](http://www.dailydot.com/geek/slash-fandom-film-kickstarter/?tu=dd) by Aja Romano; Aug 28, 2015

[60 percent of teen girls play games—but most turn their mics off](http://www.dailydot.com/geek/pew-survey-teen-gamers-girls-play-silently/) by Aja Romano; Aug 18, 2015

[At Comic-Con, the struggle for queer representation in media gets real](http://www.dailydot.com/geek/comic-con-noelle-stevenson-james-tynion-queer-media-panel/) by Aja Romano; July 11, 2015

[It’s-A Me, Mary Sue: Why She’s An Important Figure For Fanfic And Fangirls](http://www.themarysue.com/why-the-mary-sue-is-important/) by Sam Maggs; May 12, 2015

[How the Hugo Awards got their very own GamerGate](http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2015/04/how-hugo-awards-got-very-own-gamergate) by Elizabeth Minkel; April 16, 2015

[The Tumblr that combines feminism and 'Saved by the Bell'](http://www.dailydot.com/geek/saved-by-the-bell-hooks-feminist-tumblr/) by Aja Romano; Jan 30, 2015

[On The Fetishisation Of Gay Men By Women In The Slash Community](http://www.themarysue.com/fetishizing-slash/) by Kiri Van Santen; Jan 17, 2015

\--also see the comment section for good commentary

[J.K. Rowling's tweets on representation at Hogwarts provoke major fan backlash](http://www.dailydot.com/geek/jk-rowling-jewish-queer-harry-potter-students/) by Aja Romano; Dec 19, 2014

[Is GamerGate about media ethics or harassing women? Harassment, the data shows.](http://www.newsweek.com/gamergate-about-media-ethics-or-harassing-women-harassment-data-show-279736) by Taylor Wafford; Oct 25, 2014

[Feminist Critics of Video Games Facing Threats in "GamerGate" Campaign](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/technology/gamergate-women-video-game-threats-anita-sarkeesian.html?_r=2) by Nick Wingfeild; Oct 15, 2014

[The teens on Tumblr are all right](http://kernelmag.dailydot.com/issue-sections/staff-editorials/10152/fangirl-screaming-defense-tumblr/) by Aja Romano; Aug 31, 2014

[The sexist crusade to destroy game developer Zoe Quinn](http://www.dailydot.com/geek/zoe-quinn-depression-quest-gaming-sex-scandal/) by Aja Romano; Aug 20, 2014

['Women in refrigerators' supercut shows how women suffer onscreen](http://www.dailydot.com/entertainment/women-in-refrigerators-film-supercut-youtube/) by Aja Romano; Aug 16, 2014

[A Brief History of Slash](http://the-toast.net/2013/09/19/brief-history-slash/) by Morgan Leigh Davies; Sep 19, 2013


	7. Meta, blogs/posts, comments/discussions

This section is for meta, entire blogs and specific blog posts that have gender and fandom as their focus. This also includes the comments and discussions that accompany blogs, posts and meta on places like LiveJournal and Tumblr.  Note on content: most of what I've posted so far has been specifically about gender and fandom, but some is more accurately characterized as fans analyzing media from a feminist perspective, which I have decided is also relevant to this collection. Meta and blog posts have been organized by date, with the most recent on top.

* * *

**BLOGS**

**(I've made the decision to not collect personal Tumblr blogs because I think that would get really unwieldy)**

 [The Logan Institute for the Study of Superhero Masculinities](https://theloganinstitute.wordpress.com/)

[The Hawkeye Initiative](http://thehawkeyeinitiative.com/)

[Escher Girls](http://eschergirls.tumblr.com/)

[The Fan Meta Reader](https://thefanmetareader.org/)

**FANDOM STATS**

[AO3 Census](http://centrumlumina.tumblr.com/post/63208278796/ao3-census-masterpost) by centrumlumina 

[toastystats](http://destinationtoast.tumblr.com/stats)

**META OR BLOG POSTS**

[When you want to see if your content has been reblogged for the right reasons…](http://fangirlnovel.tumblr.com/post/143935600982/when-you-want-to-see-if-your-content-has-been) by fangirlnovel; May 6, 2016

\--racism in shipping in The Walking Dead fandom

[Fans of Color Are Not To Blame For Fandom's Erasures](https://storify.com/rukminipande/fans-of-colour-are-not-to-blame-for-fandom-s-erasu) by Rukmini Pande; May 5, 2016

["I’m both tired of and angry with fandom."](http://stitchmediamix.tumblr.com/post/143928457894/im-both-tired-of-and-angry-with-fandom-not-just) by stitchmediamix; May 5, 2016

\--commenting on racism in fandom

[white fans talking about fandom discourse](http://stardust-rain.tumblr.com/post/143698703895/white-fans-talking-about-fandom-discourse-sureeee) by stardust-rain; May 1, 2016

Your Vagina is a Bigot; My Vagina is a Saint by Franzeska; April 25, 2016

\--this is a meta on Archive of Our Own that is restricted to those with AO3 accounts

\--note: PLEASE read the numerous objections in the comments on this piece

[how writers talk about lesbian characters](http://emmas.tumblr.com/post/142646816897) by emmas; April 1, 2016

[Survival of the White, Male, CisHeteros: JRoth’s Fantasyland – A Dialogue](http://uncannyvalley.us/2016/04/jrothsfantasyland/) by Elizabeth Bridges; April 6, 2016

[untitled: criticism of Talisa on GoT](http://turtle-paced.tumblr.com/post/142072695202/you-have-criticized-talisas-character-a-couple-of) by turtle-paced; April 2, 2016

[Of Manpain, Misogyny, and The 100 Mess](http://uncannyvalley.us/2016/03/misogynymanpainmess/) by Elizabeth Bridges; March 26, 2016

[Tabletop Gaming has a White Male Terrorism Problem](http://latining.tumblr.com/post/141567276944/tabletop-gaming-has-a-white-male-terrorism-problem) by latining; March 23, 2016

[Elyza Lex™, Riot Grrrl, and Creativity in the Face of Grief: A Fandom Love Letter](http://uncannyvalley.us/2016/03/elyza-lex-riot-grrrl-and-creativity-in-the-face-of-grief-a-fandom-love-letter/) by Elizabeth Bridges; March 15, 2016

[F/F Stats (femslash)](http://destinationtoast.tumblr.com/post/139410106784/toastystats-ff-stats-femslash-february-2016) by destinationtoast/toastystats; Feb 15, 2016

[A Tale of Two Show(runner)s](https://lorimorimoto.org/2015/11/19/a-tale-of-two-showrunners-3/) by Lori Morimoto; Nov 19, 2015

\--This post compares how the showrunners of BBC's _Sherlock_ and NBC's  _Hannibal_ have responded to their slash shipping fan bases

[A Waste of Time](http://turtle-paced.tumblr.com/post/130331693072/a-waste-of-time) by turtled-paced; Oct 2, 2015

\--meta about why Talisa from GoT is a poorly scripted and sexist character

[Fandom and the Intersection of Feminism and Race](http://diversehighfantasy.tumblr.com/post/128926468321/fandom-and-the-intersection-of-feminism-and-race) by diversehighfantasy; Sep 12, 2015

J[upiter Ascending and the Female Gaze](http://fuckyeahjupiterascending.tumblr.com/post/126831837240/jupiter-ascending-and-the-female-gaze) by fuckyeahjupiterascending; Aug 16, 2015

[why is it always sun and/or capheus getting headcanoned as aro and/or ace by allo people?](http://queerhawkeye.tumblr.com/post/123912339179/queerhawkeye-why-is-it-always-sun-andor-capheus) by queerhawkeye; July 12, 2015

[GoT Season 5 & Sexism: Part 1](http://gotgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/123409023652/got-season-5-sexism-part-1) by gotgifsandmusings

\--this is the first part of a nine part series on GoT Season 5 & Sexism, see the other parts collected [here.](http://gotgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/119403805073/meta-analysis-roundup-post)

[Why Sansa Really Kneeled: how sexism shaped Sansa Stark’s arc long ago](http://gotgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/119391541235/why-sansa-really-kneeled-how-sexism-shaped-sansa) by gotgifsandmusings; May 19, 2015

[The Invisible Man(liness)](https://theloganinstitute.wordpress.com/2015/05/14/theinvisiblemanliness/) by Evan Hayles Gledhill; May 14, 2015

[Trading Kittens for Coitus: The Adaptation of Margaery and Tommen in Game of Thrones](http://theculturalvacuum.tumblr.com/post/117806525944/trading-kittens-for-coitus) by theculturalvacuum; April 30, 2015

[GoT Meta: Depiction vs. Endorsement, and Sexism](http://gotgifsandmusings.tumblr.com/post/117645193922/got-meta-depiction-vs-endorsement-and-sexism) by gotgifsandmusings; April 28, 2015

[Writing Better Damsels in Distress](http://betterbemeta.tumblr.com/post/81023316818/something-i-see-a-lot-in-feminist-circles) by betterbemeta; March 28, 2015

[On Female Characters and Femslash in the Silmarillion Fandom](http://vefanyar.tumblr.com/post/108663714705) by vefanyar; Jan 20, 2015

[For all the women I have loved who were dragged through the mud](http://aiffe.tumblr.com/post/43660300604/for-all-the-women-i-have-loved-who-were-dragged) by aiffe; annotated version date: Jan 15, 2015

[A meditation on unrequited fangirl love and Trent Reznor.](http://unreconstructedfangirl.tumblr.com/post/104333565936/a-deep-cut-from-my-past-fangirl-life) by unreconstructedfangirl; Dec 4, 2014 (original post from 2005)

[Feminized Men: Why do women identify with Marvel’s baddies?](http://plain-flavoured-english.tumblr.com/post/100169385059/theladymonsters-im-waiting-for-someone-to-write) by plain-flavoured-english; Oct 16, 2014

[Fandom and Ew, Girls](http://urbanhymnal.tumblr.com/post/90778826726/fandom-and-ew-girls) by urbanhymnal; July 4, 2014

[How to Character Design for the Womens](http://shattered-earth.tumblr.com/post/85437472703/i-could-do-this-all-day-she-will-fit-into-your) by shattered-earth; May 11, 2014

[untitled: discussion of implications of slash depiction of gay sex](http://saezutte.tumblr.com/post/55466032943/okay-this-is-the-post-im-too-scared-to-directly) by sazutte; Jul 14, 2013

[Hannibal Lecter and the subversion of the Male Gaze](http://tenebrica.tumblr.com/post/51139619771) by tenebrica; May 23, 2013

[Sherlock, Sally, and Otherness](http://pennypaperbrain.tumblr.com/post/43502113911/sherlock-sally-and-otherness) by pennypaperbrain; Feb 19, 2013

[Slash Wife Syndrome](http://madlori.tumblr.com/post/7249472088/slash-wife-syndrome) by madlori; Kuly 4, 2011

[Science, Y'all (So: are slashers straight?)](http://melannen.dreamwidth.org/77558.html) by melannen; Jan 16, 2010

[The flip side. ("Pickering, why can't a woman be more like a man?")](http://bookshop.livejournal.com/1018576.html) by bookshop; Jan 13, 2010

\--also see the comments for good discussion

[How Fanfiction Makes Us Poor](http://cupidsbow.livejournal.com/239587.html) by cupidsbow; April 26, 2007

**DISCUSSIONS (ie multiple people responding to each other over time)**

[discussion of racism in relation to Star Wars: The Force Awakens](http://diversehighfantasy.tumblr.com/post/143564238106/thebb-k8-jawnbaeyega-diversehighfantasy)

[It's ALWAYS about race.](http://diversehighfantasy.tumblr.com/post/143939057776/dear-fandom)

\--discussion about racism in fandom

[conversation about why there are so many gay male ships](http://stickley925.tumblr.com/post/134363467635/destinationtoast-anarfea-destinationtoast) (includes statistical analysis)

[why Finn subverts toxic masculinity](http://stickley925.tumblr.com/post/137185660400/nearly-headless-horseman)

[reylo and YA romance tropes](http://stickley925.tumblr.com/post/137235752560/lexiegirlstuff-smitethepatriarchy)

[Gender and Fan Culture/Studies Series](http://fandebate.livejournal.com/), organized by Henry Jenkins; 2007

\--this link is to a LiveJournal mirror of the extensive series of discussions between fan academics hosted by Henry Jenkins on his blog

\--see also:

\----[the post on the context](http://henryjenkins.org/2007/05/when_fan_boys_and_fan_girls_me.html) for this series by Henry Jenkins

\----[the first part of the series](http://henryjenkins.org/2007/05/gender_and_fan_studies_round_o.html) by Karen Hellekson and Jason Mittell

["Normal Female Interest in Men Bonking": Selections from The Terra Nostra Underground and Strange Bedfellows](http://web.mit.edu/21fms/People/henry3/bonking.html) edited and introduced by Shoshanna Green, Cynthia Jenkins and Henry Jenkins


	8. Podcasts & Videos

This section is for both entire podcasts and video series or channels that are focused on gender and fandom, as well as specific podcast episodes or single videos that take up the subject. Note that this does not include fan vids or podcasts of fan fics--these would go under the fan works section.

* * *

  **PODCASTS**

[/report](http://www.slashreport.com/wp/)

[Black Girl Nerds](https://soundcloud.com/blackgirlnerds/)

[The Crafting System](http://thecraftingsystem.podbean.com/)

\--"When fandom and crafting collide"

[Fangirl Happy Hour](http://www.fangirlhappyhour.com/)

[Fansplaining](http://fansplaining.tumblr.com/)

[The Fanwankers](https://soundcloud.com/the-fanwankers)

[Shipping Room](http://shippingroompod.libsyn.com/)

[Slashcast](https://player.fm/series/slashcast)

[Woman Up!](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCenNS8cEawdcUOln6bqtgGw)

[Year 27 Group](http://year27group.tumblr.com/about)

**VIDEOS**

[25 Invisible Benefits of Gaming While Male](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E47-FMmMLy0)


	9. Fan Works

So this collection is pretty sparse so far! This is partly because of where I am and what I look for in fandom spaces, but it's also because I'm not sure how to really evaluate what will count in this collection as sufficiently "about" gender/sexuality in fandom. Clearly, I can't link every piece of slash fic or art, but I do think some illustrative examples are needed. I'm planning to take this on a case-by-case basis, and focus on works that are clearly and consciously taking on political themes. 

Also, **please**  mind the tags and warnings within each link. Some content may be mature, NSFW, disturbing, or triggering.

* * *

**FAN ART**

[genderbent Sherlock and John](http://andbutts.tumblr.com/post/18172966636/dumb-femlock-sketch-thing-where-sherlock-is-a) by andbutts

[genderbent Sherlock and John](http://decompositiondance.tumblr.com/post/24192664832/interesting-that-soldier-lady-she-could-be-the) by decompositiondance

[Hamilton/Laurens slash](http://bottleshark.tumblr.com/post/131665153744/people-keep-complaining-in-the-tags-of-my-art) by bottleshark

B[east/Prince Phillip gifset](http://dopeybeauty.tumblr.com/post/129329773833/disneys-sleeping-beauty-and-the-beast) by dopeybeauty

[racebent les amis from Les Miserables](http://batcii.tumblr.com/post/137141490668/un-groupe-qui-a-failli-devenir-historique-les) by batcii

**FAN FIC**

**(including podcasts of fic)**

_Relevant AO3 tags:_

[Queer Themes](http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Queer%20Themes/works)

[Feminist Themes](http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Feminist%20Themes/works)

[genderswap](http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Genderswap/works)

 [LGBTQ Fest](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/lgbtfest)

\--"This collection is for stories written for LGBT Fest, a fest for fanfic that focuses on the experience of being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender."

[Queer Fest](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/queer_fest)

\--"Queer Fest is a fanfiction fest for fanfic that focuses on the experience of being queer. The fest is open to any fandom and character, whether the character is canonically queer or not."

[Fic rec list: queer icon/activist Steve Rogers](http://thestuckylibrary.tumblr.com/tagged/char:activist!steve)

[fic rec list: socialist Steve Rogers](http://thestuckylibrary.tumblr.com/post/133087844382/can-you-guys-give-me-more-socialist-steve)

[Being Liquid](http://archiveofourown.org/works/285360) by rotaryphones; 7485 words, rated Mature

\--"When Teddy discovers a new way to be liquid, Victoire helps him to find stability."

**FAN VIDS**

[Oh Carol! (Lannister)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98dWy9tK6tU) by Unabashed BookSnobs

[Buffy vs. Edward: Twilight Remixed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZwM3GvaTRM) by Jonathan McIntosh

[Vogue - 300](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_NrUD1iqME) by luminosity

[Women's Work](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4E7T5klLLM) by luminosity and sisabet (warning for graphic depictions of violence against women)


End file.
